A dark web drug trafficker was forced to forfeit nearly $25 million in Bitcoin and serve 15 years in prison

Zhengcheng Huang asked drug buyers to pay in Bitcoin, which made digital transactions harder to trace. Read more David Lombeida / Bloomberg

by Chris Palmer Published Oct. 14, 2025, 3:24 p.m. ET

Zhengcheng Huang’s scheme was relatively straightforward, federal prosecutors said: Using the moniker “Chinodrug” on the dark web, Huang made illegal shipments of oxycodone to buyers across the United States, and typically asked to be paid in Bitcoin, which made the digital transactions harder to trace.

But after Huang pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, federal prosecutors in Philadelphia moved to seize his illicit proceeds — and that kicked off a unique legal battle.

The typical fine for a defendant found guilty of the crime to which Huang admitte